Chibi-Robo! Bound for Nintendo 3DS in North America with Photo Finder

I won’t lie. I have a big, soft spot in my heart for Chibi-Robo. The original GameCube title, Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure was a title I picked up on a whim during college. It was also one strange enough to force my roommate and I to enjoy late night gaming sessions of cleaning stuff around a virtual house.

During this morning’s Nintendo Direct presentation, President Satoru Iwata announced that the aging fan favorite Chibi-Robo would be making his robotic return to North America on the Nintendo 3DS. Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder is coming.

This silly little augmented reality game tasks you with finding pictures of things in the real world that match up with those inside Chibi’s game. Hopefully it’s as charming as the original efforts. Charm, after all, is what made this series so good.

Here’s how Nintendo described the product in a release that went out after the presentation this morning:

Everyone’s favorite helpful 4-inch-tall robot is back! This time Chibi-Robo has been tasked with helping a new museum get off the ground. Players are given silhouettes of needed objects, then use the Nintendo 3DS camera to find matching objects, known as NostalJunk, in the real world. Chibi-Robo will also help characters like superheroes and singing sponge-bears with various tasks, all while keeping an eye on his electricity reserves. The game also features community events called NostalJunk Challenges that focus on particular silhouettes, and give players opportunities to showcase their creativity and maybe earn a special outfit for Chibi-Robo to wear in the game. A demo will soon launch exclusively in the Nintendo eShop, with the full version landing on Jan. 9, 2014.

There you have it. While a price hasn’t been announced yet, Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder will hit the Nintendo 3DS by way of the eShop on Jan. 9, 2014.